Okita Souji
"Okita grabbed hold of my wrist, gave me a smile, and began to lead me down the street. His grip was a touch too tight to be friendly, his fingers like iron cables around my arm." Okita Souji '''is the Captain of the First Division in the Shinsengumi. Personality Okita thoroughly and genuinely enjoys fighting and killing, and is quick to make either joking or serious threats. He is a chronic prankster and teases his friends constantly, but his mischief also has a more sinister side, as he delights in tormenting his enemies. He maintains a carefree and almost childish attitude, even going so far as to make light of his tuberculosis. However, he is by no means shallow-minded or ignorant of the burdens he and the rest of the Shinsengumi bear. Despite his unconventional moral compass, Okita is loyal to Kondou to a fault, and strives to gain his approval and acceptance in everything he does. Therefore, if Kondou expresses disapproval, Okita will usually change his behavior accordingly. Consistently taking his side, Okita always acts in what he believes to be Kondou's best interests, and is quick to jump to his defense either literally or figuratively. On a related note, he is suspicious of Hijikata's motives, and has a tendency to blame him for Kondou's missteps and misfortunes. Background Okita was born into a samurai family, but his parents died when he was very young. Because his elder sister, '''Mitsu, could not afford to take care of him, she left him at the Shieikan when he was eight years old. He occupied his time taking care of the household chores. When Kondou found out that his students were beating him as "practice" and attempted to convince them to stop, they later blamed Okita for tattling and redoubled their abuse. Okita then requested that Kondou not interfere again. After some time, Okita started trying to mimic the students' moves and fight back, so Kondou allowed him to participate in sparring. He suffered a cut in his first fight, but insisted on continuing in spite of his injury, and finally won the match. Following this, the other students left him alone, and he officially started training. In the games See also: 'Okita Souji/Walkthrough'' Okita is a protagonist, and one of Chizuru's possible love interests. Prologue Okita is first encountered shortly after Saito rescues Chizuru from furies, expressing disappointment that there are no enemies left for him to kill. He reacts with confusion to Hijikata's decision to bring Chizuru back to the compound, as he is openly supportive of executing her from the beginning. Okita's more mischievous side also surfaces as he insists that Chizuru thank them for saving her. Perhaps realizing her true gender, he remarks upon her politeness and introduces himself. When they return to the compound, he is the one who directly escorts Chizuru, holding onto her to prevent her escape. Chapter 1 Meeting the Shinsengumi Okita appears again as Chizuru is brought into the common area to be introduced to the other Shinsengumi officers. He asks if she slept well, telling her that when he checked on her earlier, she "didn't move, no matter what he poked". When Saito assures Chizuru that he was teasing her, Okita says he just wanted to see her squirm. Even after hearing Chizuru's side of the story, Okita's stance on killing her has not changed, to the point that Kondou reprimands him for his heartlessness. Following this, he is somewhat less vocal about his opinion, and allows Saito to take Chizuru back to her room without comment. Escape or Explanation Choice If the player chooses to try to escape, Okita will appear and again voice the opinion that Chizuru should be put to death for failing to prove her trustworthiness. If the player chooses to stay, Chizuru states that they "may do whatever they like with her", but Okita bursts into laughter and concedes that they are being hard on her. He then remarks that he has never seen a more innocent girl, revealing his awareness of her true gender. After Hijikata explains that he shares this knowledge, Okita encourages Chizuru to reveal her side of the story. If the player chooses to keep running, Okita is less directly involved in the scene, but agrees with Hijikata that her femininity is obvious. Chizuru's Story As Okita was aware of Chizuru's gender long before her confirmation, his opinion on killing her has not changed. While the other captains are preoccupied with discussing her gender, he reminds them that if Chizuru is a threat, her personal situation is irrelevant. To determine whether this is the case, Kondou then asks Chizuru to share her side of the story. After she explains that she is in search of her father, Yukimura Kodo, Saito mentions that the Shinsengumi is also looking for him, and Okita explains some of the circumstances behind his disappearance. Despite Hijikata's decision that executing Chizuru is not an option, Okita is quick to remind her that they may decide to kill her later anyway. When Hijikata proposes that they make Chizuru a page, and asks Kondou and Sanan if either of them need an assistant, Okita points out that Hijikata suggested it, so he should be the one to deal with her. Kondou and Sanan both agree. Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 (Okita) Chapter 5 (Okita) Chapter 6 (Okita) Chapter 7 (Okita) Final Chapter (Okita) In other routes Though the choices that cause Okita to drink the Water of Life occur before the route divide, this decision has no bearing in any route except his own. In all others, his condition continues to worsen due to tuberculosis, and he is eventually sent away from the Shinsengumi to recover. Hijikata's route Saito's route Heisuke's route Harada's route Kazama's route Following Chizuru's separation from the rest of the Shinsengumi, Okita is not seen again. In the anime In the musicals ''Main article: Okita Souji/HakuMyu'' Okita is portrayed by Hirose Daisuke in HakuMyu Saito-hen through Toudou-hen; and by Aramaki Yoshihiko in HakuMyu Reimeiroku, HakuMyu Shinsengumi Kitan, and HakuMyu LIVE 2. In the fandom ''Main article: Okita Souji/Fandom'' Gallery ''Main article: 'Okita Souji/Gallery Quotes * "And here I was, planning to take care of them all on my own. Couldn't you have picked another day to work so fast, Saito?" (Prologue, to Saito) * "Another man cut down in the street, huh? Doing a great job, aren't we?" (Prologue, to Hijikata) * "Let's just kill the kid. You want to keep someone quiet, that's the only sure way." (Chapter 1) * "All right, all right. Now, tell your big brother… Why would a nice girl dress up like a boy and run around Kyoto in the middle of the night?" (Chapter 1, to Chizuru) * "Ah, you must be the brains. So tell me, chief, what's it gonna be?" (Chapter 2, to one of the ronin harassing Kaoru) Trivia * According to a letter in "Stories of the Shinsengumi", Okita first developed a romantic interest in Chizuru sometime after she honored her word to keep his tuberculosis a secret. Category:Characters Category:Routes Category:Protagonists Category:Shinsengumi Category:Furies